hey everyone getting ready to start buying gear and I have a question first off about wetsuits. When I took my open water diver classes we used 6.5mm farmer johns by the way I live in Ohio. I am wondering if I should purchase a 6.5mm farmer john or a 3 or 4 mil full suit. If i get the 3 or 4mm suit wont I have to wait longer to start diving in Ohio??
3mm vs. 6.5mm farmer john?
- Thread starter Bflem55
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divinginn
Contributor
my 3 mill suit keeps me warm to about 65 degrees,im warm natured and it depends on the fit of the suit and how old it is,less insulation the more dives put on it.I would say go with the heavier wetsuit,they are alot more trouble,boyancy and getting in and out but they will keep you warm and extend your dive season.
That all depends on how well you can tolerate the cold & the water conditions where you dive. Cold comfort levels are very personal & is very different for each individual. I can speak of what I've seen here in KY. Depths below 50' in most waters around here temps are mid to low 40's year around. Here in KY in the shallower waters you can usually get away with just a swimsuit late June- early Sept. From late May- late June & from mid Sept.- mid Oct. probably a thinner (3- 4mm wet suit). From late April- late May & mid Oct.- early Nov. the thicker suits would probably be best. I personally have a skin, 1mm full, 2mm shorty, 3mm full, 2pc. 7mm & a shell style drysuit. Because of the temperate climate & the drastic differences in temps from sumer to winter, generally 1 suit is not enough. I tend to mix & match what I will wear based on the current water temps when I want to dive. I'm a real coward when it comes to being cold, so I'm choosy about what I wear, when. Right now with the temps as they are, I'm diving in my drysuit. I was diving a medium wet suit a month ago, a light suit in late Sept. & only a swimsuit in July. When I deep dive I always wear my heavy wetsuit or my drysuit. Hope this helps you out.Bflem55:
Scubapat
Registered
the nice thing with a farmer john is you can just wear the jacket part if the water is a little warmer, at least with the farmer john i tried.
Crazy Fingers
Contributor
For what it's worth, I get cold in my full 3/2 in 72 degree water after about 20 minutes. Since you are bound to be much colder than that, I would think the farmer john would be the better choice. How were the 6.5s during your certification? If you were hot, then maybe the 3 full is the way to go, but if you were even the slightest bit chilly, it's going to be a lot worse in the full...
Tigerman
Contributor
I havent only 7mm wetsuit (for diving) myself with the exception of the pool at my OW class. I do however own some thin wetsuits that Ive been using for windsurfing (3mm i think) that I might try using during the next summer, if they still fit that is 
Only reason I want a wetsuit is basically that its kinda nice getting a BIT cooled down during the summer..
Only reason I want a wetsuit is basically that its kinda nice getting a BIT cooled down during the summer..
I dive in a 4/3 in water down to 60 degrees. I've never been in water cooler than that but I bought a 3 mil shorty just in case. I guess I'll have to do a So Cal trip to test out the layered effect.
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Bflem,
I live in the north east and being virtually land locked, just like yourself, many of us dive cold water quarries routinely. If you want to dive from May until October, your best bet is to get a 6.5 or 7 mm farmer john. If you get too warm, just go with the shorty. I doubt you will get that warm, however. Even here at Dutch Springs, the temperature below the thermocline is around 50F during the hotest part of the summer.
Wait and get a the 3 mm when you go to the Atlantic or Pacific and do some warm water diving.
Good Luck!
I live in the north east and being virtually land locked, just like yourself, many of us dive cold water quarries routinely. If you want to dive from May until October, your best bet is to get a 6.5 or 7 mm farmer john. If you get too warm, just go with the shorty. I doubt you will get that warm, however. Even here at Dutch Springs, the temperature below the thermocline is around 50F during the hotest part of the summer.
Wait and get a the 3 mm when you go to the Atlantic or Pacific and do some warm water diving.
Good Luck!
JanR
Contributor
I've learned that the answer to so many questions posted on Scubaboard are most accurately answered with, "It depends." No way to get around that...
As others have mentioned, much of what "depends" in your question is your tolerance to cold, the temperatures you'll most likely be diving in, and what level of activity do your dives entail.
Your budget is also a major consideration--also a very accurate "correct" answer to Scubaboard questions. If your temperature tolerance is low and your budget toleralance is high, then the "correct" answer is simple--buy a dry-suit.
However, I suspect as you have excluded drysuits from your question, your budget is a key consideration--welcome to the club.
With all of this said, here is my 2 psi... I found the "perfect" (at least for me) first wet-suit was a 5mm and then layer as appropriate for the conditions. By layering a 5/3 hooded vest underneath, I could dive semi-comfortably at the bottom of our local quarry at 49 degrees. However, I have also dove just the 5mm suit in Hawaii and off of North Carolina waters which were between 79-81 degrees without any risk of overheating. In fact, I found the suit wasn't "too warm" even the heated indoor pool in our area.
For what it's worth...
Jan
As others have mentioned, much of what "depends" in your question is your tolerance to cold, the temperatures you'll most likely be diving in, and what level of activity do your dives entail.
Your budget is also a major consideration--also a very accurate "correct" answer to Scubaboard questions. If your temperature tolerance is low and your budget toleralance is high, then the "correct" answer is simple--buy a dry-suit.
However, I suspect as you have excluded drysuits from your question, your budget is a key consideration--welcome to the club.
With all of this said, here is my 2 psi... I found the "perfect" (at least for me) first wet-suit was a 5mm and then layer as appropriate for the conditions. By layering a 5/3 hooded vest underneath, I could dive semi-comfortably at the bottom of our local quarry at 49 degrees. However, I have also dove just the 5mm suit in Hawaii and off of North Carolina waters which were between 79-81 degrees without any risk of overheating. In fact, I found the suit wasn't "too warm" even the heated indoor pool in our area.
For what it's worth...
Jan
potato cod
Contributor
Like JanR, I have also found that the layering approach works well for me. I have a 3mm jane + 3mm jacket and I also add a 3/5 hooded vest. I'm thin and get cold just looking at the water, so for colder conditions I wear all three, which gives me 9 mm over my core. For warm tropical dives in the summer, I just wear the jacket. I found that I absolutely love having the vest because it really keeps me from loosing heat through my head and as an added bonus it also keeps my hair out of my face and from getting hopelessly tangled when I dive, so I also wear the vest in warm waters. This approach did cost more at the outset than just getting a jumpsuit, but I do love the flexibility and I don't need 2 different wetsuits.
I would recommend going with the warmer suit because it will suit your local conditions, but like others have said, it does depend on how cold you get. In warmer conditions, you can always unzip your wetsuit a bit too if you are too warm.
I would recommend going with the warmer suit because it will suit your local conditions, but like others have said, it does depend on how cold you get. In warmer conditions, you can always unzip your wetsuit a bit too if you are too warm.
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